


Arc 1 - Building a Pack

by Joe_Reaves



Series: Huminals [1]
Category: CSI: NY, Empire Records (1995), Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not Human, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Animals, Crossover, Gen, Kid Fic, Master/Slave, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-14
Updated: 2010-04-14
Packaged: 2017-10-08 22:57:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/80362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joe_Reaves/pseuds/Joe_Reaves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe slowly gains a pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arc 1 - Building a Pack

Joe was just getting ready for bed when he heard a knock at the door. Not the door to the club, which he'd locked an hour earlier when they had closed, but the door to his private residence. He cautiously peered through the spy hole, wondering who could be there at such an early hour, and nearly fainted when he saw Mac standing there. He hadn't spoken to his brother in years and Mac didn't even live in the city, choosing instead to make his home on the savannah to the west. But there he was, large as life, and looking like hell. He kept glancing over his shoulder nervously, like he was watching for anyone following him and Joe growled softly.

Typical, no word for years and then when he's in trouble he turns up and expects Joe to let him in, never mind that huminals were still only tolerated by the humans in the city and any hint of trouble could get the club closed down and his license taken away. He was about to open the door and give him a piece of his mind when something else caught his eye. A gust of wind caught Mac's cloak for a second and lifted it, revealing a young hawk of some kind, clinging to him and shivering in the cold night air. His wings were wrapped around him for warmth and Joe was struck by the way the light glinted off his golden eyes.

Pulling the door open he gestured to Mac. "Get inside before you both freeze to death." Once they were both inside he shut the door and locked it again. "Who's hunting you?" he snarled.

"Hello, Mac," his brother drawled. "How are you? It's been a while. Not big on small talk are you, little brother?"

Joe growled back at him. "Hello is over rated, I don't care how you are, and we both know how long it's been. Now tell me who you're running from. I don't need your trouble here."

A soft whimper made him look down and he saw the hawk pressed against Mac, looking up at him out of large frightened eyes. Joe softened and knelt down in front of him.

"Hey, kid, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. Why don't we go and see what we can find that's still warm for you to eat?" He looked up again. "You look like you've missed a few meals yourself, Mac."

"We had to travel light," Mac said. "AJ was rescued from a slave caravan and they were tracking us nearly all the way here. We only lost them once we got inside the city walls. I was hoping you would be able to find him somewhere safe to stay. You're the only person in the city I trust with him."

Joe shivered at the mention of slavers, no longer seeing the hallway of his home, but instead a dirty alleyway, ten years earlier. Joe, Mac, and Madison, their sister, had spent a lot of their childhood playing in the streets of the city. Their parents had moved into the city from the plains and the children had had almost free rein as long as they were back in time for meals. Prejudice against huminals was even stronger back then and they both had to work long hours to make ends meet so they trusted Mac to look after Joe and Maddie.

One day they'd been playing hide and seek together when Maddie had let out a terrified yelp. Joe immediately tried to run towards her and help her but Mac pounced on him and held him down, putting a hand over his muzzle to keep him quiet. They watched from behind a haphazard stack of crates as four slavers stuffed her into a cage on the back of a truck and drove off. Joe had struggled to get free and try to help her but Mac had been bigger and stronger and wouldn't let him up.

Eventually Joe sank his teeth into Mac's hand and wriggled free but it was too late and the truck had gone. From that day he'd barely spoken to Mac and their previous close friendship had dissolved into almost nothing.

"Since when do you care about slavers?" he snarled, looking up at Mac from where he was crouched in front of the hawk. "You don't want to get involved, remember?"

"Joe, please..." Mac said softly, flinching at the harsh words. "I was trying to protect you. You were just a cub and I wasn't much more. We couldn't have helped her."

"We could have tried," Joe insisted, knowing deep down that Mac spoke the truth. He just didn't want to admit it. He wanted to blame someone for Maddie's disappearance and since he'd never found out who had taken her, Mac was the only one that he could blame.

Before things could deteriorate into yet another drawn out fight, Joe was knocked to the floor by a furious ball of feathers. He grabbed the young hawk carefully, trying to avoid the tiny fists that were pummelling.

"Don't be mean to him," the boy shouted. "He rescued me from the bad men."

Joe gently tried to peel the tearful hawk off of him. "Hey, kid, enough. Calm down."

Golden eyes glared up at Joe. "He attacked the bad men and made them go away. Then his friends unlocked all the cages and let us out. They gave us food and clothing and he looked after me. You can't be mean to him."

Joe held the young boy at length, looking up at his brother with the eyes of an adult for the first time instead of those of a distraught cub, grieving the loss of his sister. "You're with the resistance?" he asked in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"When could I have told you?" Mac asked sadly. "When did we last talk, let alone talk face to face?"

Joe looked down at the floor again. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, only the fact that Mac's hearing was that of a jackal letting him hear Joe's words. "I was wrong to blame you. Can we talk now? Really talk?" He looked at the young hawk. "After we get this little one something to eat and find him somewhere to sleep?"

Mac smiled slowly, some of the tension easing from around his eyes. "I'd like that, Joe. I've missed you."

Joe flushed slightly, glad his fur would cover it. Even though it had been five years since he'd lived with anyone, he still missed being part of a pack. His parents were dead, Maddie was gone, and he'd driven Mac away. He knew Mac had a whole new life now out on the savannah, a new life he knew nothing about, but he still wanted him back, if not physically, then at least emotionally.

Not saying anything else, he ushered Mac and the young hawk into the kitchen, heating some soup up for both of them and cutting generous chunks of fresh bread as well. The two of them tucked in eagerly, confirming Joe's suspicion that they'd missed too many meals recently.

As the hawk concentrated on his food, Mac and Joe talked softly. AJ, the hawk, was seven years old. When Mac and his friends had released all the slaves from the caravan they had attacked, most of them had planned to find new lives out in the country somewhere, but AJ had been all alone. No one could find out what had happened to his family so Mac took responsibility for him; but Mac's life was too unstable for a small child, so he'd come to the city where one more child wouldn't be noticed and to the only person he really trusted with AJ's safety.

Joe was touched that after everything that had happened between them, Mac had had no doubts that he would help the child and not blame him for the things that Mac had done. Joe watched him carefully. It had only been five years since Joe had seen him last but he looked much older than he had then; his new life was obviously taking its toll on him. He thought back on the harsh words he'd thrown at him in the years after Maddie's disappearance. It had hurt so much to lose his littermate, but it had hurt just as much to lose Mac, even though they didn't share the same blood. Adopted or not, Mac had been his big brother and right now his loss hurt even more than Maddie's because Joe was having to acknowledge that he was to blame for the end of their closeness. As a child it had made sense to blame Mac, but as an adult he had stubbornly clung to that belief even when it should have been obvious how unfair he was being.

He looked up when he realised AJ was no longer moving and shared a smile with Mac at the sight before them. The exhausted young hawk had fallen asleep at the table, his spoon still clutched in his hand. Mac carefully took the spoon away from him and Joe picked him up gently. Between them they got him into the spare bedroom and undressed him without waking him up. They had some trouble finding him something to sleep in but Joe sacrificed one of his old tunics and they cut holes in the back of it for AJ's wings.

Sneaking out of the room so as not to disturb the exhausted hawk, Joe left the door open so they would hear him if he woke up and didn't know where he was. They went back into the main living area and just looked at each other for a moment.

Joe curled up in one corner of the couch and gestured for Mac to join him. Instead of relaxing like Joe, Mac sat stiffly at the opposite end of the couch, watching him warily. Joe hurt for him and for the pain he had inflicted on his brother over the years.

"Can we talk, Mac?" he asked. "I want to try and patch things up. I'm sorry it took me so many years to realise what an ass I was being. You know how stubborn I am." He looked Mac in the eye. "I'm sorry for how I treated you. Losing Maddie wasn't your fault. You did the right thing by stopping me; I should never have taken it out on you."

"It hurt," Mac said softly. "I know she wasn't my littermate but she was my sister no matter whether we shared parents or not. I lost her and then I lost you too. I was trying to keep you safe. Watching her being taken and not trying to stop it was the hardest thing I've ever done and then you blamed me for it." He looked down. "I loved her as much as you did, Joe."

Joe flinched. Mac hadn't deserved to be treated that way. "I'm so sorry, Mac. Can you forgive me?" he asked. "I want you back. I want to try and fix our friendship if you'll let me."

Mac hesitated and then smiled at him and Joe realised Mac had just been waiting for him to grow up enough to offer him a chance. They both moved at the same time, grabbing each other in a tight hug. Joe wriggled around so he was leaning back against Mac's chest and closed his eyes, revelling in the feeling of having his brother close to him again.

They talked until the sun was coming up; about the past, but also about their present and their futures. Mac told Joe everything about his group of resistance fighters and Joe told Mac about the club and how the business was really taking off. By morning they were well on the way to repairing their friendship and they were already making plans for Mac to visit again and for Joe to come out and see his home on the savannah some time later in the year.

Mac stayed for another week and a half, reconnecting with Joe and rebuilding the bond that had been broken when Maddie had been taken. By the time he was ready to leave, AJ was comfortable with Joe and not too anxious at the idea of Mac going home without him. Mac swore he'd be back soon to see him and Joe in the near future. The original idea of Joe finding a new home with someone else for the young hawk had been discarded by the second day. He had wormed his way into Joe's heart and there was no way Joe was going to let him go to some stranger. Instead they were making plans to redecorate his room and find a tutor for him. In the space of only a few days, Joe had gone from being a slightly lonely, single wolf to reuniting with what was left of his pack and starting a new one. He hugged AJ close and they both watched from the roof, waving, as Mac disappeared into the crowds and headed home, but this time Joe was sure he'd be back.

*****

AJ had been living with Joe for three years when the next member of the pack joined them. It was all AJ's fault really, although he was only a child and didn't do it deliberately.

He was just starting to use his wings and Joe had been looking for someone to teach him. Unfortunately birds were rare in the city. They mostly preferred the wide open spaces of the mountains to the north or the plains and savannah to the east. He was still looking though. AJ needed a teacher so he was going to get one. He could afford to pay them well and he was respected in the huminal community, so he knew it was just a matter of time before one turned up at the club, having heard from a friend of a friend that he was hiring.

In the mean time, he tried to keep AJ occupied and use up some of his excess energy by taking him with him whenever he went out. He'd got over his earlier shyness, although strange adults still scared him if Joe wasn't there to make him feel safe. As long as Joe was with him even the crowds in the marketplace no longer bothered him.

The market had become one of their favourite outings. AJ was fascinated by all the bright colours and shiny metals of the things for sale. So much so that Joe often teased him about being a magpie instead of a hawk.

That was where the trouble began. Joe was busy haggling with a trader over some brightly coloured silks he had on display, which Joe wanted to make into shirts. So engrossed in his discussion with the stall holder was he that he didn't notice AJ had wandered a little further on and seen some polished stones on another stall. Drawn in by the different colours and patterns he picked a few up, marvelling at the smooth texture. He was looking behind him to see where Joe was when the trader grabbed his wrist.

"Put those down you little thief," he yelled.

Joe heard the commotion and dropped the silk, calling over his shoulder to the owner that he'd be right back. He hastily pushed his way through the crowd towards AJ who was cowering away from the much larger adult and stammering as he tried to say he wasn't stealing them.

The trader tried to grab his other arm, still shouting about him being a thief and, as most children do when confronted by an angry adult, AJ wriggled and tried to get free. Just before Joe reached him, intent on giving the stall holder a piece of his mind, AJ managed to get away and took off. Literally.

He leapt into the air on instinct alone, climbing higher and trying to get away from the man. When he finally calmed down he realised how high he was and panicked, half landing and half falling into a tree and clinging to the highest branches.

Joe ran towards the tree and froze. AJ was looking down at him and crying, clearly terrified by his predicament, and Joe was flummoxed. All his instincts were telling him he had to get to his cub and keep him safe, but he was up a tree and wolves don't fly.

"AJ, stay where you are," he called. "I'll find someone to help, but you have to stay there and not try and get down on your own." He was still crying and it was driving Joe nuts. He needed his cub back where he could be sure he was all right, but he couldn't climb a tree, especially not one that high.

He jumped as a hand touched his shoulder. "Let me try," came a deep voice from behind him. "I can go up and get the youngling if you want."

Joe turned around and found himself face to face with a large, black panther. He was covered from head to toe in black silky fur and was wearing loose pants and a headband of brightly coloured woven twine.

Joe nodded thankfully. "Would you mind? He's never flown so high before and I don't know how to get him down. I'm scared if he stays up there much longer he may try on his own and fall."

"Hey, kid," the panther called. "You stay right where you are until I come and get you." He ran towards the tree and leapt for the lowest branch, swinging himself up easily. He climbed agilely and swiftly, moving faster through the branches than some people can move on the ground. It was an impressive sight but Joe was too caught up worrying about AJ to really appreciate it.

When he was almost level with AJ, he stopped and looked at the branches ahead of him, tilting his head as he thought. AJ had landed at the very top of the tree and the branches were much thinner there. They could easily support the weight of a ten year old hawk, especially as birds were lighter than most other species, but there was no way they were going to hold the weight of a fully grown panther.

He stretched out, reaching as far along the branch as it could and Joe found himself holding his breath as it bent dangerously. He could see him talking to AJ but even his hearing couldn't make out the exact words, so he cried out in shock as AJ jumped into the air, flapping his wings frantically.

The athletic cat caught him easily and pulled him close so that they could rest in the fork of the tree for a moment. Then, with AJ clinging tightly to him, he made his way back down again, leaping from branch to branch with ease, AJ's weight not hindering him in the slightest. When he reached the foot of the tree, he put AJ down and Joe ran over, grabbing his cub and running his hands over him, assuring himself that he was unhurt. He hugged him close and stood up, settling the boy against his hip. At ten, AJ was too big to be carried often, but Joe didn't want to let go of him just yet.

He turned to the panther and smiled, holding out his hand. "I'm Joe," he said. "I can't thank you enough for what you did. Please come home and share a meal with us; it's the least we can do."

The panther smiled and took his hand confidently. "Richard, but most people call me Berko. I'd love to share a meal with you and the youngling. Maybe you can tell me how you ended up with a bird as your cub?"

*****

AJ went to bed straight after dinner and Joe invited Berko to stay with them. He could do with some more live in help in the club anyway and it would be helpful to have someone who could climb around in case of any more flying accidents from AJ.

Together they went through the club, preparing it for opening. Berko worked well with Joe and the two of them were soon chatting happily.

"So how did you end up in the city, anyway?" he asked.

Berko shrugged. "I was bored. I grew up in a small town out in the middle of nowhere. An all huminal settlement. It was quiet and peaceful and looking back probably the perfect place to grow up, but I wanted to see new places and I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, so I came here."

"Do you have family back in your home town still?" Joe asked, tossing Berko a cloth so they could start wiping down all the tables before the customers started to arrive.

"My parents," Berko said. "And my little sister. Mum and Dad are police officers there. Everyone looks up to them, you know? I thought it was like that everywhere. But then I got to the city and the humans treat us all like we're barely a step above dumb animals. It makes me want to start smacking people around."

Joe laughed. "I wouldn't advise it. Huminals are treated much more harshly by the courts than humans are. Not all humans are bad though. The customers here are a mix of huminals and humans, but of course the humans who are willing to come to a club in the huminal quarter are generally more tolerant. Expect to see human masters with their huminal slaves though. We always get a few, especially in the gambling rooms upstairs."

Berko sighed. "I hate that. What gives them the right to own another person?"

Joe shrugged. "We're not people to them. They have to tolerate the free huminals but for a lot of them, we're just animals that got too big for our boots. I can't stop the slave owners coming in here, but I can throw out anyone who disrespects my staff. The high rollers who want to play at the tables upstairs have learned to keep their mouths shut if they don't want to be barred."

Berko grinned. "Well, at least that's something, right? Do you get comments from the other huminals because of AJ? Most huminals here seem to stick to their own species or at least to their own kind, cats stay with cats and so on. But you're a wolf with a hawk for a son."

"I got some at first but people are used to us now," Joe said. "They're going to be even more confused when they start seeing you around too." He grinned. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want, you know. I have a feeling AJ won't be the only cub to join my pack. I like having younglings around and there are always little ones who need someone to take care of them. It would be nice to have another adult around. Besides, any respectable wolf pack needs a beta."

Berko was a little startled at how quickly Joe had made him a part of his family, but there was something about the older man that appealed to him. They got on well and were already working together as if they'd known each other for years. "I'd like that." He laughed. "A wolf pack with a panther as beta and a hawk as a cub; maybe you can start a trend amongst the huminals. We should mix more. We need to stand together to work against the humans, especially the corporations."

Joe nodded. "Listen, if you're going to stick around there are a few things you should know." He looked at him seriously. "You need to think about what I'm going to tell you before deciding to stay. It could become dangerous for you, although I try not to endanger my pack. I can't risk AJ."

Berko tilted his head. "Go on, I'm listening."

"I have a brother, Mac," Joe started. "He's a jackal so I guess you could say it's my parents' fault I don't stick to my own species," he added with a grin. "He lives out in the savannah with a few other huminals and he's part of the resistance. That's where AJ came from. Mac rescued him from slavers and brought him here where no one would recognise him."

Berko nodded. "Poor kid. How much does he remember?"

Joe nodded. "Yeah, he was seven when Mac brought him here. Old enough to know what happened to him and what would have happened if Mac hadn't rescued him."

Berko smiled. "I'm glad he's here instead. He's a smart kid. I really like him, even if he does get stuck up trees," he said with a laugh. "Still he's young, he'll learn."

"Damn kid scared the hell out of me," Joe grumbled. "I'm glad you were there or I don't know what I'd have done. Anyway, that wasn't all I was going to say. Since I found out what Mac does, I've got a little involved myself. I don't attack people or anything, but some of the resistance groups use me as a contact to pass messages. They can slip in and out of the club unnoticed when we're busy. Occasionally I let them stay in one of the rooms upstairs."

"So we might get visitors unannounced?" Berko asked thoughtfully. "I can deal with that. I'm happy to help in any way I can and besides, Mac's your family. Pack help one another; I may be a cat but even I know that."

Joe grinned. "I hoped you'd see it that way. It's not just Mac's little band any more. There's a group up in the mountains who come down occasionally. I've only met their second in command so far. She's a fox and a very formidable lady. And occasionally we get someone from the ocean to the south of here. I've never met any of them, just their messengers, but I hear they're led by a tiger."

"Sounds like fun." Berko winked at him. "Anything you need, you just ask, Joe. I'm happy to help you to help them and it doesn't change my decision. I like it here and I like you and your cub. I'd be honoured to be your beta. You might need to teach me how a pack is supposed to act though, preferably before it grows any bigger. I don't want to accidentally do something wrong."

Joe smiled. "Thanks, Berko. I'll tell you anything you want to know but we're family as well as pack so there's nothing too difficult to grasp and when we expand you'll already be here so you can adapt to it at the same time as the rest of us." He nodded decisively. "I'm glad you're here, Berko. Welcome to the pack."

*****

A year after Berko joined the pack it grew again. He had taken to making the trip out to the desert with AJ once a week so he could stretch his wings. His flying had improved dramatically over the last year and he could now take off and land almost anywhere, but the desert offered wide open spaces and strong air currents that he could use to soar. Watching him glide, Joe sometimes envied him his wings; he looked so free and flying looked like such good fun.

The wind changed and Joe stiffened. It was carrying the scent of blood and fear with it. He thought it was a dog of some kind but he wasn't sure. Waving to AJ, he called him down and told him what he had smelled.

"I need you to see if you can see anything from up there, but don't get too close," he warned. "Come back and tell me what you find. I don't want you getting hurt."

AJ took off again and Joe began jogging across the open ground, tracking the scent back towards its source. Joe tilted his head back and sniffed the air every few feet to make sure he was going the right way. Then AJ shrieked and folded his wings back, diving towards the ground at a frightening pace. Joe sped up, racing as fast as he could towards the clump of bushes that AJ had headed for.

The scent of blood got stronger and more intense as he got closer. He could smell fear, pain, death; at least one adult dog and some newborns. Not many hours old either; he could smell the afterbirth. He moved the bushes aside and the female hidden amongst them snarled at him. He held one hand out towards her, trying not to spook her.

"It's all right, sugar," he said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She was bleeding heavily and was desperately underweight. It must have taken the very last of her strength to crawl into these bushes and give birth to the pups. Her four babies lay next to her, protected from the weather by her body.

"Are you running?" he asked.

"Please," she begged. "Don't let them get my babies. I escaped from a lab but my pups were born here. They're freeborn; don't let them take them back into slavery."

Joe beckoned to AJ. "I need you to go back to the car and bring all the blankets we have and the bottled water. We'll take her somewhere safe." Honestly, he didn't think she would be going anywhere. She'd lost so much blood already and he could see she was pale and weak. If she'd given birth in a hospital or even at home with a doctor she might have survived, but out here in the desert she hadn't stood a chance. How she'd managed to stay alive long enough for him to find her was beyond him.

He reached out and stroked her hair gently. "Your pups will be safe with me," he promised. "They're part of my pack now and I'll protect them." Her eyes drifted close and he felt her body relax. Now that she knew her babies would be safe she had let go. For now she could stay here. He would bring Berko out later to help him give her a proper burial. Her pups were his concern at the moment.

He picked the first little one up and cursed as he realised it was cold and limp. He rubbed its small body, hoping to get a reaction and when nothing happened he searched desperately for a pulse, but it was too late. He wasn't sure if it had ever even been alive. With her weight as low as it was, her pups may have died before they could even be born.

It was the same story with the second and third pups. Joe felt worse and worse with each failure to find a sign of life. She'd come all this way and fought so hard; it wasn't fair that none of them had made it. As he reached for the fourth and final pup, it whimpered weakly.

Breathing a prayer of thanks, he scooped it up and held it close to his body, hoping to try and warm it. The pup was a little boy and he didn't even wake properly, just snuggled closer and drifted off again. Joe stood up and started back to the car, meeting AJ halfway. They used the water to clean the pup up a little and then wrapped him in one of the warm blankets.

"What about the others?" AJ asked anxiously.

Joe shook his head. "I'm sorry, AJ. This is the only one that made it. I think the others were stillborn. Their mother died a moment ago."

AJ started crying softly and Joe wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "We have to concentrate on this little one for now," he told him. "He's alive and we can help him." When AJ was safely sat in the car, Joe handed him the small bundle. "Hold him while I drive," he said.

AJ wiped his eyes and looked down at the small bundle. The pup was covered in soft, velvety brown fur with a cute little black nose. He already had some hair on his head as well as the fur and poking out from it were two floppy ears. AJ smiled at him and cuddled him closer.

It wasn't until they got back to the club that Joe realised he didn't have any idea what kind of supplies he would need to care for a baby this young. Berko smiled down at the pup when Joe introduced them and tickled his cheek gently.

"He's a real cutie, Joe," he said with a fond smile. "I'll go out to the market and buy some milk and bottles and other things. Do you want me to go to the apothecary and ask Master Snape to visit this afternoon?"

Joe nodded, smiling in relief at his beta. "Thank you, Berko. I was concentrating on getting him home safely; I didn't even think about the changes we would need to make."

AJ sat down in the living room, still cradling his new brother carefully. "He's so tiny, Dad. Are you sure he'll be OK?"

"Well, I don't know," Joe admitted. "But we'll do our best to take very good care of him and Master Snape will know what to do."

"What if Master Snape scares him?" AJ asked, looking up at his father from wide, scared, golden eyes.

"Master Snape is a very good apothecary and the closest thing to a doctor we have here," Joe promised him. "He'll do everything he can to make sure he survives. And you need to help me think of a name because we can't keep calling him the pup."

"Well, he scares me," AJ admitted.

Joe chuckled softly. Master Snape scared most people with his appearance and demeanour, but he was a very talented healer and would often treat people for free or in exchange for goods or services if they couldn't afford to pay him. "Well, he scares me a little bit too," Joe assured AJ. "But he's a good man. You just have to ignore the things he says sometimes and watch what he does instead."

*****

Master Snape looked up from his ledger where he was making notes about which ingredients he'd need to restock in the near future and nodded politely to the panther who had come in.

"Can I help you?" he asked. The panther wasn't one of his regular customers but he did look vaguely familiar. Master Snape couldn't quite place him though and that annoyed him.

"My boss wants you to make a house call this afternoon if it's not inconvenient," he said with a smile. "He's just found a newborn puppy. The mother and his littermates are dead and Joe wants you to check the little one out. He seems OK but we weren't exactly prepared for a sudden arrival, so we're not sure what to do with him."

Master Snape nodded; he knew who the panther was now. Most people knew Joe at least by sight and he'd been to the club before on business when his older son had sprained a wing after a bad landing. "A puppy, you say?" he asked, running through the list of supplies he should take with him in his head as he spoke. "Do you know what the mother died of?"

"No idea, sorry," the panther told him. "He went out to the desert with AJ and came back with a puppy." He grinned. "It was a bit of a shock. I'm going to pick baby bottles and milk up at the market. Is there anything else I should get?"

Master Snape rolled his eyes. Bottles and milk and they thought that was all they'd need. Sometimes he understood why his pregnant patients thought all men were stupid. "I'll make you a list," he said dryly. "A puppy is a lot of work and they start crawling early, so Joe will have to start baby-proofing the private part of the club as soon as possible as well."

"Baby proofing?" the panther asked again.

Master Snape sighed. "I'll make him a list as well." He pulled out a piece of parchment and quickly jotted down a long list of supplies that would be necessary over the next couple of days. "You'll need to buy all if this today if possible. I can recommend some suppliers if you need me to, but you should be able to find it all in the market."

The panther read through the list carefully, his eyebrows raising as he worked his way through it. "We really need all of this?"

"You really need all of that," Master Snape told him sharply. "Now get on with you; you have a lot to do and I need to visit my new patient.

The panther laughed at his impatient tone and strolled towards the door, waving casually at him as he went. "Thanks, Snape. I'll see you around."

Master Snape muttered at the use of his name on its own but didn't say anything loud enough for the panther to hear. He gathered his supplies and packed them into a smart doctor's bag, which had been a gift from a grateful patient one Christmas, and headed out to meet the puppy. He stuck a note on the door before he left for any customers who might come by, saying he was out on a house call and to leave him a message if it was urgent and he'd get back to them as soon as possible.

*****

AJ opened the door and let Master Snape into the club. Backing away quickly, he let the Komodo dragon pass him and stride confidently towards the bedrooms as if he lived there.

He followed behind the apothecary meekly as Master Snape swept through the corridors and towards the sound of crying. Joe was singing softly, trying to soothe his cub, but the puppy was whining loudly and didn't seem to want to calm down.

"Oh, Master Snape," Joe said with relief when he came in. "Thank goodness. I don't know whether he's just hungry or if he's hurt in some way." He glanced over at AJ and lowered his voice. "His mother died not long after he was born and his littermates were either stillborn or died just after birth; they were already cold when I got to them."

Master Snape gently took the wriggling, crying bundle and laid him on the table, unwrapping him and quickly checking him over for any infirmities. He took the puppy's pulse and then gently placed him on the scales he'd brought with him. The puppy didn't stop crying for even a second, his face was all screwed up and turning red as he continued to wail.

"He's a little on the small side and I think he's dehydrated," he told Joe. "But other than that he doesn't seem to be sick. His temperature is normal and he's got a very healthy set of lungs," he added wryly.

"So he's just hungry?" Joe asked.

Master Snape nodded. "He needs to be fed as soon as possible. If his mother was as weak as you say he probably hasn't nursed at all yet which is why he's dehydrated." He carefully wrapped the puppy up again and handed him over to Joe. "I brought some milk with me since your assistant will be gone for quite some time. I gave him a rather lengthy list of things you'd need."

He pulled a bottle out of his bag and filled it with milk. "You need to heat it before feeding him. I'll show you how to do it now and then you can feed him."

Joe carried the puppy to the kitchen and Master Snape showed him how long and on what setting he'd need to heat it.

"Dad, why won't he stop crying?" AJ asked. "My head hurts."

"He's hungry," Master Snape said before Joe could answer. "Crying is the only way he can communicate so you're going to have to get used to it. He hasn't eaten since he was born and he's not happy about it."

AJ looked at him, not sure if he should ask anything else.

Master Snape sighed. "What else do you want to know?" he asked. "I can practically hear you thinking. Just ask me whatever it is rather than standing there like an idiot. I know you have a tongue in your head."

AJ moved a little closer to Joe. "You said he was small. Is that because his mother had three other babies as well? Is he going to be OK?"

"Very good," Master Snape said approvingly. "Huminals who have more than one youngling at a time tend to have much smaller babies than huminals who have only one, like birds do. But he's smaller than I would expect even for one of a litter. It's probably because his mother wasn't eating as much as she should have been during the later stages of her pregnancy, so the babies couldn't grow as well as they should have. And yes, with you and your father looking after him, I'm sure he'll be all right. He should start putting on weight right away and by the time he starts crawling he shouldn't be much smaller than average."

AJ nodded shyly and smiled at him. "Thank you," he said when Joe surreptitiously prodded him.

"You're most welcome," Master Snape told him. "I am happy to answer any intelligent questions you or your father have about the puppy. What are you going to call him?" he asked Joe. "We can't keep referring to him 'the puppy'."

"We hadn't decided yet," Joe admitted. "What do you think AJ? What shall we call your new brother?"

AJ wrapped his wings around himself and thought about it. "What about Warren?" he suggested.

Joe nodded. "I like it. Very well, Warren it is."

Master Snape smiled. "Well, now you've got that out of the way, let's get him fed."

*****

It seemed that once Joe's pack had started to grow, it took on a life of its own. Only a few months after they had adopted Warren yet another cub would join them. Joe and AJ were at the market again, but AJ was no longer a child. He was twelve years old, an age when many huminal younglings were starting apprenticeships. Unlike most families, Joe could afford a tutor for AJ and he wouldn't choose an apprenticeship until he was at least seventeen.

He was old enough to be trusted not to get into trouble if he wandered away from Joe and was often gone for an hour or more while Joe bought supplies for the club and for the pack. That kind of shopping was boring for AJ, so he would take his allowance and look for paints or other things that he could use in his art.

The sight of Joe wandering around with a young pup in a sling had become common at the market and many of the stallholders would take a moment out of their day to come and coo at Warren. It seemed no one could resist his big brown eyes when he looked at them.

Joe had just ordered some more glassware for the club from a young coyote. She ran the market stall for her father while he made the products, but she was more interested in Warren, who was trying to touch the coloured glass, than Joe's order. Taking his hand, she had just started telling him what a handsome pup he was when AJ ran up. He was pale and shaking.

Grabbing Joe's arm, he tugged him back the way he'd just come. "Dad, you have to come and see this. You have to help him," he insisted.

"Go," the young coyote said with a smile. "My father will deliver your glasses when they're finished."

Joe followed AJ, letting him pull him along. "What is it, AJ? What's wrong? Who do I need to help? You're shaking." He put an arm around his shoulders as they walked. "Did someone hurt you?"

AJ shook his head. "I was looking for paints and there's a stall right at the far end of the market. By the slave cages," he said. "I didn't mean to stray into the slave market. It's horrible. I hate it. But I did and there's this youngling. He's only five but the slave owner said he was stupid. No use to anyone."

"He told you that?" Joe asked. He wished he could keep AJ sheltered from that side of city life, but it just wasn't possible.

"He was telling a customer," AJ explained. "This big fat guy. He wanted a couple of monkeys to work for him and the guy showed him the other two in the cage and said he could have them but the little one was slow and no use. He said he was going to kill him, Dad. You have to do something."

Sadly it was a fact of life that if a slave was damaged in some way, it was often cheaper to kill them than pay for treatment or even food and shelter. Joe knew it happened far too often and he certainly couldn't save every slave who was going to be killed, but AJ didn't know every slave. He'd found this one and Joe would try to save him if he could.

They emerged into the slave market and AJ pulled him over to the cage. There was just one slave left in it. As AJ had said, he was a very young monkey. He was sitting all on his own, poking at the dirt in front of him, but he smiled when AJ crouched down next to him.

"I told you I'd come back," AJ said softly. "This is my dad."

"Hi," Joe said, sitting next to the cage. "What's your name?"

The monkey looked at AJ quickly and he nodded to him. "My name's Mark. AJ came and talked to me; don't be mad at him? What's that you're carrying?" He reached out and prodded at Warren, who grabbed his hand and held on to it. Mark smiled broadly. "It's a baby! What's his name? Is he your baby? Can I play with him? No one wants to play with me. The big man made my brothers go away now too. Will you play with me?"

Joe chuckled at the torrent of words coming from the little monkey. "Well, he's called Warren and he's my cub. I have to go and talk to the big man now. AJ will stay with you and when I come back we can play, how about that?"

Mark nodded happily. "I like AJ. He's my friend."

Joe got up and walked over to the slave dealer, who had been watching him suspiciously. "How much for the monkey?" he asked.

"He's the last one I have. I couldn't sell him cheaply," the owner said, looking Joe up and down and obviously deciding he had money.

"My son heard you telling your last customer that the monkey wasn't any use," Joe pointed out. "You were going to have him killed. What's wrong with him?"

"Ah, he heard that?" the trader asked, realising he wasn't going to be able to pretend he was worth all that much after all. "He's stupid. Can't follow even simple directions. Gets distracted far too easily. He's young and fit but you can't trust him with much in the way of work. He might get better if you're willing to train him, but that's a long term investment and most of my clients want immediate results. I can see you're much more discerning and can understand the value of training a slave over time to get the best results."

"Nice try," Joe said dryly. "If I wasn't interested you'd have him killed. So the way I see it, I'm doing you a favour by taking him off your hands." He fished a small pouch out of his pocket. "I think this should be a more than fair offer to cover your expenses in bringing him here."

The trader weighed the bag carefully. He obviously wanted to try and drive the price up higher, but he wanted the monkey off his hands as well and any price was better than none at all. Grudgingly he held his hand out. "It's a deal and you've got a right bargain there if I do say so," he said.

Joe shook his hand briefly, concealing his disgust at this man who dealt in huminals like they were simple, dumb animals and saw nothing wrong with killing them if they weren't going to turn a profit for him. "I'll take him now. I'm just about done with my shopping for today and I don't want to have to pay a delivery fee when I can take him home myself."

The owner grunted but agreed, following Joe back over to the cage and unlocking it. "All right you little brat, get up! You go with this wolf and mind you do as you're told or you'll be back here again."

Joe glared at him and took Mark's hand. "Come with me, Mark, and when we get home you can play with AJ."

Mark jumped up and took his hand trustingly. "Can I play with the baby too? I'll be really good. I know lots of cool games but no one ever wants to play them with me. I could teach you."

Joe smiled softly at him. "That sounds like fun. You hold my hand till we get home and don't wander off and we'll all play with you." He led the young monkey away from the slave cages and back through the market towards the club, smiling at him when he was talking and fighting to get a word in edgeways whenever Mark had to pause for breath. "You're never going to have to go back there again, Mark. You belong with us now."

*****

Joe slumped into a chair in the kitchen after the club closed for the night and closed his eyes. He'd just rest them for a second and then he'd make dinner for himself and Berko. Hopefully there was enough left from the pups' dinner and he wouldn't have to cook. Half an hour later, after cleaning the bar area, Berko found him fast asleep in his chair. The panther sighed and rummaged through the refrigerator looking for something to eat. He could let Joe sleep until it was nearly done. He was running himself ragged trying to care for three children, one who was hyperactive and another who was just learning to wobble around on his own two feet and get into trouble, and run the club as well. AJ helped with his brothers as much as he could but he was only thirteen and at school all day.

One of the richer huminals in the area had a tutor and two or three of the others shared the cost of his salary and sent their younglings there, but Mark and Warren were too young to go and so Joe had to look after them all day and then work in the club all night. Berko was worried about him.

He heated up the remains of the stew Joe had made the cubs and then gently shook his shoulder. "Come on, Joe. Wake up," he said softly. "It's dinner time."

Joe started and then blushed. "I didn't mean to fall asleep," he said. "I could have cooked that, Berko."

"You're exhausted," Berko told him. "From what I've learned, part of the beta's job is smacking the alpha when he's being an idiot, right?" He leaned over and lightly smacked the back of Joe's head. "We need help. Running the club and looking after the cubs is too much for just the two of us, even with the casual staff we have working in the club. You're not getting enough sleep."

"I know, but what can I do?" Joe asked. "The little ones are too young to go with AJ and someone has to look after them."

"Why don't you hire your own tutor?" Berko asked. "AJ can keep going to his classes if you want and then you can have someone to teach Mark and Warren. I don't envy whoever gets the job, but it's past time Mark learned to read and write. He's not as stupid as that trader thought; he's capable of learning. He just needs someone with plenty of patience to teach him and no offence, boss, but that's not you."

Joe chuckled tiredly. "You're right about that. I don't think I could really teach either of them much. I'll advertise for a tutor at the local college and put the word out in our community too. Maybe we'll find someone, but I don't know if I trust anyone else with them, especially Warren. I can't help but wonder if one day the corporation who owned his mother are going to come looking for him."

"If they do, we'll stop them," Berko said confidently, putting a large plate of stew in front of Joe. "Now eat that and then go to bed. Tomorrow you can advertise for a tutor and babysitter for the cubs."

Nodding tiredly, Joe poked at the meal unenthusiastically, but he ate it anyway because Berko was looking at him like he wanted to lecture him on eating properly as well. When he was done, he tried to clear the table but Berko snatched the plates before he could.

"Bed," he ordered. "I'll put these in the dishwasher before I go."

Joe sighed but figured he should probably do as he was told. Berko did have a point; he was dead on his feet.

 

*****

 

A week later Joe was considering giving up on the whole scheme and just asking Master Snape if there was some kind of drug he could prescribe that would eliminate his need for sleep. Every one of the people who had applied for the job had been unacceptable in one way or another. Even the two he'd thought might be possibilities had been politely turned away after they'd met the cubs. One of them had obviously been too stunned by Mark to be able to deal with him and Warren had run away from the other one and refused to come out till the man had gone. He didn't normally take to strangers but as long as Joe was there he didn't run away either, so Joe had told the man that it obviously wasn't going to work out and sent him on his way as fast as he could.

It was getting ridiculous. How hard could it be to find someone with the patience and education to teach his cubs? He was about to see if he could persuade Mark to lie down for a nap so that he could get some sleep himself when there was a timid knock on the kitchen door.

"Excuse me? A black panther told me to come up. I'm looking for Mr. Reaves?" A teenage girl with shaved hair and an obviously new computer hook up on her head was standing there. Her clothes were shabby and she looked like a strong breeze would have blown her away.

"That's me," he said, looking her over. "Sit down before you fall down. What can I do for you?"

"I don't need to sit," she insisted. "I'm fine. I came about the tutoring job you advertised at the college."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "How old are you?" He got up and put the kettle on to make her a hot drink. He wasn't going to let her leave until she'd at least had something to drink and hopefully let him make her a sandwich or something.

"I'm sixteen, but I studied at the college for a year." She looked down. "Then I had to drop out because I needed a job."

"Hmm." Joe looked at her again. "Sit down and tell me why you think you can do the job. I wasn't expecting anyone as young as you."

Reluctantly she took a seat, looking around the kitchen warily. Joe recognised the look. It was one he'd seen on AJ's face often enough when he'd first taken him in.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" he asked softly. "Is someone chasing you?"

"I ..." she looked down and then sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Yes. I took a job with a corporation. It was meant to be only for a year and they were paying really well, plus I could keep the hardware once I was done." She gestured to the device in her head. "Some of what they wanted me to do was ... well, I didn't want to do it and once I'd seen what they were researching, they didn't want to let me go."

Joe put a cup of tea in front of her and cut some bread to make her something to eat. "Are they likely to find you here?" he asked. "I'd like to help you but I don't want to bring trouble here."

"I don't know," she admitted. "You really want to help? Why? What's in it for you?"

"Nothing," he said. "And you're welcome to leave at any point. But you need help from someone. I have family who live outside of the city. If you think it's not safe to stay then I could send you to them."

She looked at him suspiciously, not sure whether to trust him but something had told her this job was a good opportunity for her and she really did want to believe him. "I don't think they'll look for me in the huminal quarter of the city. I don't really know anyone here although I was studying the anthropology of huminal species at college. I can do this job, really. I was learning all about the strengths and weaknesses of huminals and how they don't really group together outside of individual species and I love children."

Joe smiled at her. "Eat this and then you can meet my cubs and we'll see how you get on. Even if you find you can't do the job, I'll help you and you're the only applicant that seems to have any potential so far anyway."

She smiled hesitantly. "Thank you. So, um, I was studying the way huminals stick to their own species but you're a wolf and the guy downstairs is a panther?"

Joe nodded. "My oldest cub, who you won't be teaching because he's thirteen and already shares a tutor with some other younglings his age, is a hawk. The two I need help with are a monkey and a puppy. It's just Berko and I here with them and we have the club to run. We're up pretty late and then I have to be with the cubs all day and I just can't manage it without help."

She nodded. "It sounds like hard work and you have a very interesting family, Mr Reaves."

"Pack," he corrected her. "And if things work out with you as their tutor I'd like you to move in and become part of it. With the hours Berko and I work, we really need whoever I hire to be here all the time."

She nodded. "I understand. Can I meet the cubs now and we'll see if they like me?"

Joe got up and led her up to the playroom where Mark was swinging from the climbing frame he'd had built. "You've been very good this afternoon, Mark," he told him proudly. "Can you come here and meet, um, I'm sorry, I never asked you what your name was."

She smiled. "My name is Deb." Crouching down, she held out a hand to Mark. "I might be your new tutor, Mark. What do you think of that?"

Mark ran over and grabbed her hand. "What's a tutor? Are you going to play with me? Warren can't climb the bars yet; he's too small. What's that thing in your head? Did it hurt? I fell off the bars and hurt my head but dad put a bandage on it and kissed it better and it didn't hurt any more. He could kiss yours better too if it hurts."

Joe coughed and looked away, thinking he should probably talk to Mark about when kissing isn't appropriate later, although the cub probably wouldn't listen.

"Well, a tutor is someone who teaches you things and looks after you when your dad is busy. I have to meet Warren first but I could play with you later if you want. I have lots of games I could teach you. The thing in my head is so I can talk to computers directly," she explained patiently. "It hurt when it was put in but it doesn't hurt now and it's very nice of you to say your dad could kiss it better but I think he should save his healing kisses for you and your brothers, don't you?"

Joe was surprised that she'd understood everything Mark had babbled at her and very impressed at the way she answered all his questions. He held out his hand to Mark. "Let's go and see if Warren likes Deb better than the last person we tried, and then we have to find her somewhere comfortable to sleep."

He turned back to Deb. "I only have one small bedroom left, but AJ wants to move up to the attic so when we've converted that for him you can have his room. I'm afraid you'll have to make do until then."

She nodded. "That's OK; I don't have much stuff, just what a friend kept for me while I was away, so I don't need much room."

He smiled, already planning on buying her some more clothes and helping her replace anything else she'd lost; if she was going to be part of his pack, then everything she needed would be provided by the pack. As a paid tutor she'd be expected to buy things out of her salary, but as a pack member she would be his responsibility and her allowance would be adjusted to compensate her for whatever work she ended up doing. He really hoped she'd work out as a tutor, because Berko was right; he couldn't go on like this much longer. He needed more sleep than he was getting or he'd get sick.

Warren was asleep so Joe left Mark with Deb in the doorway of the younglings' room and went in to wake him up. He really hoped Warren didn't run away from Deb. Picking the cub up, he cuddled the sleepy boy. "I've got someone who'd like to meet you, little one," he said softly, smiling as Warren scrubbed at his eyes sleepily before sniffing the air and turning towards the doorway. Chubby arms tightened around his neck, but he didn't try to get away so Joe stood up and carried him towards her.

"This is Deb," he told Warren. "And I hope she's going to move in with us and help look after you. Do you think you'd like that?"

Warren looked at her uncertainly, shaking his head a little so his floppy ears hung down and covered his face. He peeked at her through them and then looked back at Joe for reassurance.

"She's nice," Joe promised.

"You have to like her," Mark said suddenly. "She's really nice and she's going to play with us and everything but she doesn't want dad to kiss her."

Joe groaned softly, just knowing that somehow Berko was going to hear Mark saying that and tease him for ever about it, but before he could say anything Warren reached out a small hand towards Deb and Joe found himself holding his breath.

She took it gently and he gripped one of her fingers with his fist. "Hello, Warren," she said gently. "I hope we're going to be really good friends."

He looked back at Joe again and then pulled his hand away so he could stick his thumb in his mouth. He lay back against Joe's chest sleepily and closed his eyes, obviously not nervous about the presence of this stranger in his home. Joe smiled.

"Well, I think that decides it then," he said happily. "You're hired."


End file.
